


masks and mirrors

by arysthaeniru



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Angst and Introspection, Bribery, Corruption, General Yanagi warning for overthinking, M/M, Political Campaigns, navel gazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-22
Updated: 2014-09-22
Packaged: 2018-02-18 09:13:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2343050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arysthaeniru/pseuds/arysthaeniru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>in which yukimura is a political candidate and in which yanagi wonders whether masks can be analyzed away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	masks and mirrors

The thing about Yukimura was that he had masks upon masks that Yanagi found entirely fascinating. As the two of them weaved their way through the crowd of potential lobbyists and party supporters, Yanagi watched the public mask bloom. Yukimura flirted with single heiresses, passionately discussed his ideals to heads of businesses, got down on his knees to talk to children earnestly and smiled more than Yanagi had ever thought was possible for a single man. But, this was merely a typical day in the life of being Yukimura Seiichi's political aide. 

Yukimura was always like this in public, filled with the zeal and energy that so many other political candidates lacked, and brimming with charisma that made people flock to him. It was only when Yanagi pulled him outside, to tell him that they would have to leave soon to sleep enough for his big speech tomorrow, that the first mask dropped and Yukimura's serious and bored face emerged. 

"Good." agreed Yukimura, as he loosened his cufflinks. "Let's get out of here, I would die of boredom if I had to make small-talk to another foppish fool."

Yanagi just smiled placidly and agreed, as they entered the car and made their way back to the hotel in silence. Yukimura seemed like the sort of man who would burst with energy all of the time, but he was always sombre and brooding in their private moments together, something that created a perfect dichotomy. Of course, that wasn’t the real Yukimura either, but it was one step closer to it, one step closer than the deception that Yukimura was always happy. 

_("How much longer until we start the campaign for presidency?" asked Yukimura, as they stepped out of the car and into the hotel._

_"A month. Then two months of campaigning until the election." said Yanagi, without having to look inside his book of dates._

_Yukimura nodded, his face carefully blank. "Good. I'll see you tomorrow, Yanagi-san. Bright and early, like usual." He dismissed Yanagi firmly, with a slight scowl and a toss of his delicate head.)_

One of Yanagi's favourite games to play while listening to Yukimura's speeches from the sidelines, was guessing which of his statements for the future were lies and which were truth. It was more difficult than Yanagi cared to admit, as a man of data, but Yukimura had always been remarkably difficult to analyse. If even he had trouble telling when Yukimura was lying, so would the public. 

Still, some things were easier to detect as truth than others. When Yukimura yelled, with conviction in his eyes: "Aren't you tired of being ruled by old, white men who've never seen the whole truth of our entire world?", Yanagi knew instantly that he truly believed those words. And the slightly more tame "I will bring spectacular change to this world." was something that he evidently believed in. The things where he pretended to empathize with members in the audience, the points where he said that he would be no tyrant but neither would he be complacent...those were the moments that Yanagi could only wonder about whether he was lying or not. 

It was an interesting game, mostly because Yukimura's expression always looked just a little bit too perfect and because Yukimura wrote his own speeches. He never let Yanagi write his speeches and he never carried notecards around, not like other candidates. Not even the best president of their country had gone without notecards, which always made Yanagi wonder whether he had memorized his speeches so quickly, or whether he was making it up as he went. And even if he had, was he saying what he truly believed or not?

_("How many days left?"_

_"Twenty three."_

_"....acceptable. How many more areas can we fit in around regular scheduling?"_

_"Three. But you won't be able to sleep for a few days."_

_"Add them in.")_

Even with the bored contempt for his fellow members of parliament, Yukimura's best performances were within the House and how he spoke for his section of their country. He drew attention, and that much -Yanagi surmised- Yukimura enjoyed. Yukimura was brightest and most alive with attention. Whether this was because his mask was strongest then or whether Yukimura genuinely enjoyed attention, Yanagi was unsure, but he shined when there were lots of people around to witness it.

He also delighted in ripping out the hides of fools and idiots that he didn't have to be nice to and Yanagi wondered whether the voters that would vote Yukimura because of his previous charm would feel more cautious about doing so, if they watched the live broadcasts of Parliament and saw how a smirk pulled across his face as he acidly orated exactly how moronic the statements of his opponents were. 

Yanagi wondered whether this was the true Yukimura, but Yukimura just seemed bored of mocking people outside of parliament, laughing at the idea of being so petty. "It's just another tool in my arsenal. It's about who you're talking to, isn't it?" asked Yukimura, casually, with a slight shrug, as Yanagi gripped Yukimura’s jacket as they steered through the busy crowd of people heading to their train. "Different people require different speech patterns."

It was an interesting concept, but honestly brought Yanagi no closer to being able to figure out Yukimura’s masks. 

_("How much longer until the election starts?"_

_"Sixteen days."_

_"How are polling ratings?"_

_"You're second only to last years' opposite candidate."_

_"How do I get to first?")_

They sat inside the first-class lounge of the airport. Their flight to the north had been delayed by three hours and it had thrown off Yanagi's scheduling for their entire trip. He sat with his laptop balanced on his knees and his bluetooth headset in, bouncing between phonecalls and emails, to try and fix up everything to work properly again. Unforseen variables were difficult, but Yaagi was one of the best at this work, and he was not going to let Yukimura's campaign fail over a petty weather problem. At his side, instead of sleeping, Yukimura was texting someone, despite his eyes drooping every so often. 

"You should sleep sir, you have trouble sleeping on flights and a period for rest isn't scheduled in for another 36 hours." said Yanagi, mildly, looking up from his laptop as he finished a slew of calls. 

"Mmm, perhaps." said Yukimura, looking lost in thought as he placed his phone aside, his eyes unusually open. "...why did you join politics, Yanagi-san?" he asked, curiously, with an almost wistful tone.

"To make a difference." said Yanagi, with a thin smile. 

"And doing paperwork and scheduling for me is bringing change?" asked Yukimura, skeptically, arching an eyebrow. "Surely you had other ideas. I heard from someone else that you were a genius."

"I studied well. Calling me a genius is too much. I had a career ahead of me in science, though." admitted Yanagi, as he carefully removed his bluetooth speaker. "I just thought that politics was a better way of bringing change to the world."

"Science is a better way of bringing change. You should have stayed there." said Yukimura, with a peculiar tone to his voice, as he kicked off his shoes and tucked himself into seiza on the bench. 

"If you truly believed that, you would not be here." said Yanagi, quietly. If he knew one thing about Yukimura, it was Yukimura's determination to be powerful.

Yukimura laughed, dryly, running a hand through his hair. "The change that I want to make is executive. If you want to change the world, science is much better. Not sticking around with me."

Yanagi just smirked softly. "If I wasn't here, you wouldn't be winning in the popularity polls. So with all due respect, sir, you should stop telling me to reconsider my profession if you want to win."

Yukimura gave him a bemused look, as if he was seeing Yanagi for the first time, before he laughed. It was neither the tinkling sound that he made for prospective sponsors, nor the cutting, mocking laughter with his opponents, but a rich, hearty laugh. His eyes crinkled as he grinned flirtily. "If you say so, Yanagi-san." he said, as he pushed back against the bench and shut his eyes.

_(He woke up a few hours later, in a soundless scream, and his eyes focused on Yanagi. "How many more?"_

_Yanagi knew what he was asking. "Five days."_

_"How many more cities can we squeeze in if I don't sleep at all?"_

_"...eight. But I wouldn't reco-"_

_"Book them.")_

There was definitely something driving Yukimura to push for change as they started into the election run. It was something beyond the cries of equal pay, and regulation of corporations and reparation of their health care system. There was something that managed to motivate Yukimura through the sleepless nights, where the two of them and their slew of various drivers went all over the country to speak and party and appeal to everybody. 

It was something beyond money or justice or even the desire for power. Yanagi knew that the desire for power looked like, he saw it in the other politicians of the country. Nobody pushed themselves this hard for power alone. There were only two things that Yanagi could see fueling this, and that was love or hate. Figuring out which, of course, would be something that Yanagi might never do. 

Or maybe he could. Yukimura, either due to his tiredness or his renewed interest in Yanagi’s countenance, seemed to give away more about what was a lie and what was a truth. It became easier to read Yukimura's silences and when his patience was being tested in the social events. Like now, at the fundraiser of their particular political party. 

Yanagi steered Yukimura away from a rich couple as he saw the wrinkles on Yukimura's jacket tighten, making the excuse of something urgent coming up, and pulled him out instead to a balcony, into the cold night air. Yukimura's fixed smile fell away and he glanced down at the party which was spilling out onto the gardens below.

"Thank you, Yanagi-san." said Yukimura, after a few deep breaths. His voice was carefully composed and blank, a contrast to his body language. "Sometimes people are insensitive beyond belief. Humans are such scum, sometimes." he said, as blankly as a robot. 

Yanagi just leant forward to adjust Yukimura's tie. Yukimura stilled under Yanagi's touch. "Sometimes." Yanagi agreed. "And sometimes we aren't." 

Yukimura's eyes met Yanagi's for a long moment, and understanding flowed between them. With that, he nodded, fluidly and strode back into the room, to small-talk with others, his mask of casual calm replacing the stiff thing Yanagi had had the privilege of seeing. 

_("How many days?"_

_"Fifty two."_

_"How much money do we need to do television adverts?"_

_"At least sixty million."_

_"How far are we from that?"_

_"Around twelve million."_

_"Can we reach that goal in two weeks?"_

_"...maybe. But we have to talk to many more people."_

_"Make it happen.")_

Television make-up made Yukimura look like more of a stunner than he already was. Yanagi wondered whether Yukimura's success would have been as strong had he not been as beautiful. There have been other presidency candidates who didn't look good at all, and won by the sheer strength of their voice or their words. But of course, this new technological world was more image-conscious than previous generations. Either way, television ads were important and those run by Yukimura made him look like an angel, figuratively and literally. Thanks to the immense amount of money Yanagi and Yukimura had raised, these adverts were everywhere, which meant that people couldn't escape his assertions or the striking look of his bright eyes.

His approval rates had gone through the roof, and honestly, Yanagi hadn't been expecting much of a reaction, but Yukimura hadn't so much as twitched when Yanagi had told him the news; just nodded and continued to text on his phone. 

"Sir, you should care a little more about this." said Yanagi, with a slight hint of irritation. "This places you in a strong place to go from here, and you can't afford to slack off from here. If you fall now, it'll be a greater fall and one that won't be forgotten or dismissed." said Yanagi, quite sternly. 

Yukimura looked down, with a slight twitch. "We are not in public, Yanagi-kun." He said, his voice crisp and cool.

"That won't be good enough. The illusion--the mask has to be kept up everywhere." said Yanagi, gritting his teeth. 

Yukimura grinned, wolfishly, looking up from his phone almost too quickly. "It hurt you to say that."

Yanagi swatted Yukimura around the head with the folder in his hand, before dropping it into Yukimura's lap. "The people you'll be speaking with tomorrow and the different opinions you'll have to have with each. Read and memorize."

Yukimura just nodded, grimly, and flicked open the file. 

_("How muc-"_

_"Just under twenty six days."_

_"I'm getting too predictable for you, Yanagi-san?"_

_"Something of the sort."_

_"What do the percentages look like?"_

_"76.7% to you."_

_"Can we make it more than 85% by election day?"_

_"It's difficult..."_

_"But possible?"_

_"Ultimately yes."_

_"Then let's make it happen.")_

The amount of times that Yukimura had asked Yanagi for help with major decisions beyond scheduling amounted to the grand total of once. But as the election period got well into way, Yukimura started asking Yanagi more questions, with casual grace, as if this wasn't something out of the blue. 

For example: "So, I promised two opposite things about my legislature to two different people and they offered the same amount of money. Who do I choose?" asked Yukimura, nonchalantly, as Yanagi walked into Yukimura's hotel room to pull him out for another long day of touring. 

Yanagi blinked. It was surprisingly honest for someone like Yukimura to just openly speak about double-dealing. It was also foolish.

"Mask up." said Yanagi, with a stern frown. As much as he had dreamt of this day for...many weeks, they were jut heading into the thick of things regarding he election. Any mention of duplicitous activities reaching the light of day, could ruin Yukimura. And in the end, Yanagi's first and foremost priority was winning this election. "As for the question, I would say choose whose side you prefer more."

"I checked for bugs." said Yukimura, as he flicked his folder shut and buttoned his cuffs. "No media person is spying here. That's why I asked." He quirked his eyebrows. "Don't think I'm growing careless, Yanagi-san. I'm reaching the finish line. I won't be the overconfident rabbit from Aesop."

Yanagi still frowned, but reached forward to adjusted Yukimura's suit to look more professional. "Choose the one who suits your morals more."

"I don't care about the issue at hand." said Yukimura, tilting his neck upwards, in a very deliberate manner, letting Yanagi adjust his clothes. Yanagi tried to not stare at the symbolic trust that Yukimura was giving him here, and continued to polish him a little more. "I don't have an opinion either way."

It was a little jarring to see that. Most people had at least a little bias towards a situation, even if they weren't really connected to it. "Then pick whomever made a better impression on you."

Yukimura laughed, dryly but it sounded almost hollow. "All humans are pathetic in their own ways, Yanagi-san. There are very few that I've found who I can like."

Yanagi's lips twitched, that mirrored a statement that Yukimura definitely couldn't say in front of an audience. Someone smaller might have thought this was the real Yukimura. But Yanagi could see that he didn’t really believe that statement, not entirely. "Then flip a coin, sir." he said, with a slight shrug. "If it matters so little to you."

Yukimura's eyes flickered to Yanagi, with amusement. "Does it bewilder you, my opinion of society? Don't worry, you're one of the few who I like." he said as he shook out his hair and made himself look immaculate. "But I'll stand by my statement. In times of trouble, you'll see a human's true mettle and most of them have none."

Bitter words, with little force behind them. Enough to fool someone who hadn’t been watching for as long as Yanagi had. Yanagi just tapped Yukimura’s tie and turned to walk out towards the door. Yanagi was fairly certain that this hadn't been a query, more than it had been a statement. Yanagi wasn't sure of exactly what the statement was, with all of Yukimura's complex body language, but the general message was clear: he wanted to demonstrate his trust in Yanagi and he was more than well aware of how Yanagi was constantly trying to read him. And that thought made Yanagi feel very conflicted inside.

_("How long?"_

_"A week."_

_"What are the last minute preparations?"_

_"You should make an inauguration speech."_

_"Confident, are you?"_

_"You should be, your ratings have never been higher, almost 87%."_

_"Couldn't we make it 90? Or 95? There's still a chance of losing this way.”_

_“It’s more work.”_

_“Make it happen, I want to be sure.”)_

The day before the election came and Yukimura leant back against the dresser, loosening his tie and pulling off the ever present jacket, to reveal just a waistcoat and his ruffled shirt. “You sure you don’t want a drink, Yanagi-san?” he asked, casually, as he poured himself a small glass of red wine. 

Yanagi smiled, faintly from where he monitored the TV screens passively. “No, I’ll wait until tomorrow.”

Yukimura looked more relaxed than Yanagi had ever seen him. This was not the ever-talkative and energetic Yukimura whom the public saw, nor was it the man who ruthlessly tore apart his political opponents with a wicked smirk, nor was it the sombre man who hated the world. In this moment, he was something else, something inbetween, and Yanagi wondered whether this was the real Yukimura, behind all of the masks, before he dismissed the idea. They hadn’t won yet and even if they did, Yukimura would never drop those masks so easily. Those masks were there for a purpose, though admittedly, Yanagi hadn’t figured out what purpose, busy as he was with schedules and money and backing and statistics. 

“You should relax a little, Yanagi-kun. You were the one so confident about my victory.” said Yukimura, as he took a seat next to Yanagi, lazily leaning back against the couch. “And the counting of the votes isn’t until tomorrow, you know.”

“Something could change.” said Yanagi, evenly, as he met Yukimura’s gaze. “I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

Yukimura shrugged and raised the glass to his lips, a pensive expression on his face, as they both settled into silence and listened to the low buzz of the half-muted TV set. 

“I wanted to thank you, Yanagi,” said Yukimura, softly, as the adverts started up. “You’ve done so much for me. I wanted to show my appreciation.”

Yanagi’s eyes flickered over to Yukimura. Was he really...

“I assume you don’t want a position in my Cabinet, nor do you want any law passed. You’d want... information?” asked Yukimura, and Yanagi was struck by Yukimura’s perceptiveness. Had Yukimura been watching him as closely and Yanagi had been watching Yukimura? 

“What fueled you to go towards politics?” asked Yanagi, lacing his fingers together, only watching the TV in his periphery vision now. “Why aim for the great leader?” Yukimura would no doubt answer some variation of ‘aim for the top if you aim at all’, but Yanagi wanted why he’d even start to aim in the first place. 

Still, by Yukimura’s raised eyebrow, he knew exactly what Yanagi was asking. “I have a goal.” said Yukimura, his eyes squeezed shut. “It’s not anything noble or good. It’s vengeance, plain and simple.” he said, coolly. 

Swilling his wine in his glass, Yukimura hesitantly started into a story. “There was a once a boy, tall and strong and with just a little bit of a temper. But he was loyal and dutiful and had such high ambitions for the future, until he was killed by a stray bullet. It wasn’t intentional, but the man who killed him did not even get a charge for manslaughter because he was a police officer and the boy was not rich nor was he white.”

Yanagi frowned as Yukimura leant back into his chair, a pained expression his face. “That was my best friend, who died at the age of fourteen. I thought I’d never recover, but I did and I moved on. Then, my younger sister, by four years, was hit by a speeding police car trying to chase a criminal who wasn’t a criminal at all. She was given severe brain damage and was in a coma for a year, before my parents pulled the plug. The man who did it was not even fined or docked pay, because my sister was only collateral damage.” 

Yukimura’s gaze was fierce as he looked up and gripped the edges of the seat, tightly. “So when I reach power, I will do my utmost and sacrifice everything else to assure that the killers of the only two people I ever gave a damn about, will suffer like they did. And any other police officer who has done the same will reach his own justice. That’s my goal. That’s what drives me. It won’t bring them back and it won’t make them happy. But it will make me happy. And that’s enough.”

Yanagi’s lips parted and his gaze turned downcast. Two deaths of two people you held dear... He thought of his elder sister’s approval and Sadaharu’s goofy smile and could not imagine how anguished he would feel upon losing them. “It makes sense.” he murmured. “And you could not have mentioned it to the people while campaigning, because there would be those who would not want someone fueled by vengeance."

"Not to mention it will be my first action upon making it into office." murmured Yukimura, as he pulled off his tie altogether.

Yanagi shook his head. "That would be inadvisable, you want to keep their support at your side. Push forward the easier changes first. The change that you promised, so that the people will continue to support you and realize that your campaign promises were not just lies. Push for this change once you have accomplished some feats already. That's the best option."

Yukimura just nodded, pensively as he stared at the screen and the rankings and predictions of the news anchors. Yanagi lapsed into a silence for a bit, but he couldn't focus on the screen, not with the images of Sadaharu being killed and his sister dying running through his mind. "I am sorry, Yukimura-san." he said, quietly. 

Yukimura's eyes flickered to his, with a faint smile. "There is no need to be. You are one of the only people who is actively attempting to change the world for the better. I hope you will continue to stay by my side and do that." He reached out a hand and squeezed Yanagi's.

Yanagi just nodded. He couldn't see himself any place else, not now that the final mask had dropped and he could see Yukimura and his motivations for real. Somehow, despite the mystery having fled the other man, Yanagi still wanted to be here. "I think you are just a little tipsy, sir." he said, with a slight laugh.

Yukimura gave him an amused smirk. "You should join me, so I don't feel lonely." he teased. 

Yanagi was tempted. The polls hadn't changed in all the time that Yanagi had been watching them, and Yanagi had always been good at control when it came to drinking, anyway. And the night would end pleasantly, he knew. But...after the topic they had just discussed....

"How much like your dead friend do I look or act like, Yukimura-san?" asked Yanagi, quietly, as he glanced down towards their linked hands. 

Yukimura's expression turned brittle as he himself realized something awful. "...you act just like him." he murmured, reluctantly, as he pulled his hand away from Yanagi's. "More relaxed, more aware, but yes."

Yanagi smiled bitterly. "Better than one of us stays sober, yes?" he asked. Yukimura's smile back was the same smile he used for the prospective sponsors and Yanagi could only wonder about what could have been, had he ignored his second thoughts. 

_(He had always been good at wondering about hypotheticals and this is no different. He'd also been good at running away from things that could have been good for him.)_

The election came and passed and to the surprise of nobody, Yukimura won. His acceptance speech was grand and he hugged all of his opponents with pleasant grins, despite having viciously cut open some of them in parliament before. He practically radiated energy on TV and from the sidelines, Yanagi could only smile in the force of it.

The moment he entered his office, he signed the documents that gave equal pay to women and men in his direct employ and made sure to send out the email that Yanagi had directed about environment conservation and stopping the wastage of paper. He also picked his cabinet members to be half female and half male. The newspapers went wild about how much progress Yukimura had made, and the politician had only grinned at Yanagi's announcement of his bolstered reputation.

Still, Yukimura's mask was firmly up, now. He never revealed any of the Yukimura that Yanagi had seen in that hotel room anymore, as he kept himself perfectly coiffed and acid and perfect. Yanagi was both saddened and happy by this outcome. He knew about what Yukimura was underneath the masks, now, but he simultaneously wished that Yukimura felt comfortable enough around him to drop every mask. 

Still, they both knew that they were only biding time until Yukimura could get what he wanted from the lawmakers. 

"It's going to be difficult." said Yukimura suddenly, when Yanagi and he were travelling to their next destination. "There's 50% against passing something like that."

"More than that, it's closer to 67%." Yanagi said, looking up from his laptop. He knew what Yukimura was talking about. 

"...how many can be bought?" asked Yukimura, softly. 

Yanagi's eyebrows shot up. "You want to bribe them to vote yes?"

Yukimura's gaze was cold as he met Yanagi's eyes, with the mask he used to rip apart the people who disagreed with him. "I will do anything to achieve my cause, Yanagi-kun, you know that."

Yanagi did know that. "Pretty much all of them. But the ones who can be easily bought is about 20%."

"Enough to swing it my way, you mean." said Yukimura, softly. "Let's do it. Find out what they want, find out what they'll bend for."

_(It turned out to be more difficult to find out what they wanted than Yanagi had been expecting. After all, this was inner politics where people knew exactly how much they were being scrutinized and were more difficult to crack.)_

Still, Yukimura’s attention was drawn away from Yanagi’s failure rapidly as he became the media’s new target. He was an effective leader, attractive to boot and very much single. The cameras flocked to him, making pieces about his every move and his every interaction with others. 

It was annoying for Yanagi to get on with his job with reporters everywhere and if even Yanagi found it annoying, Yukimura must have been infuriated. Still, if he was angry, he didn’t show it. His smiles were wider than ever and he answered most of the questions with confidence, though he deflected questions about his personal life, pushing it aside as a joke about how young he was. 

“Will you be dating soon?” asked the cameras and Yukimura laughed them away, lightly. 

“Well, that wouldn’t be fair to anyone. My life is my job and any other priorities would split my attention. It would neither be fair to my loved one or to the country.” phrased Yukimura, with an easy smile. Still, Yanagi saw the lie behind that, perhaps because he remembered the flirty smile and the times that Yukimura had sat through Yanagi manhandling him like a ragdoll, with minimal protest like other politicians would have given. 

Yukimura just grinned when Yanagi mentioned it later, with the nonchalant remark of: “If I find someone who can deal with this, it would be breaking the trend of bad luck in my life, Yanagi-kun. Besides, shouldn’t you be working on what I asked before?”

His smile was angelically threatening and Yanagi excused himself quite quickly. 

_(5 of them bent as soon as Yanagi talked to them with a little more menace and Yanagi wondered whether this was too easy, after how difficult it had initially been.)_

Still, they hit their roadblock quickly enough, when an earthquake devastated the country. There was little that charm could do to counter the effects of a natural disaster. And just as he’d once said a long time ago, the mettle of men were tested during times of trouble and most people fell short. Most politicians wrung their hands and were ineffective about sending out aid. 

But not Yukimura. Yukimura hung up his coat and tie, to pick up a pair of gloves and an apron to help with sorting out the rubble and standing with victims and helping out with the rescue efforts. He made grand speeches and comments to raise people's moral and pitched in with the firefighters in pulling out people from the debris.

Yanagi would have been more impressed if Yukimura hadn't looked so irritated upon coming to the conclusion that it was what he'd have to do. 

"It's a roadblock, that's what it is." he muttered as they walked back to the hotel. "We were close to gaining enough momentum to introduce the bill."

Yanagi just pursed his lips. "Some of these people don't have roads anymore." was his only comment. Yukimura's look to that was slightly less disgruntled. 

"I do care about this.” he said, as they reached the hotel doors. “It’s not easy for them to recover, I know. But I wish this hadn’t happened now.”

“You’re suppose to wish it hadn’t happened at all.” said Yanagi, tapping Yukimura’s forehead, with a stern look. Yukimura pulled a face, but replaced his mask of affability almost effortlessly, understanding implicitly what Yanagi was saying. 

_(When the disaster was at a manageable condition and Yukimura was able to leave without looking heartless, his first question was how hard they would have to work to plant the ideas of the bill he wanted, again.)_

It didn’t take nearly as long as Yanagi had predicted and already, it was being debated in the private political parties. Within a week of a lot of politicians deciding that it would be a major public image boost, news of the bill reached the media and the explosion over social media about the impact of the bill was phenomenal, with arguments for both sides at terrific heights.

The whole country was watching and of course, the reason for why Yukimura was silently pushing for the bill was instantly exposed. When asked about it, however, Yukimura’s response as nothing like the quietened, impassioned response he’d given Yanagi in that hotel room, the night before the election. His only words were the even: “It was a long time ago. Yes, my decision for the bill to be passed is for them, but it’s not solely for them. It’s for the countless others with the same story.”

Filled with such nobility, there weren’t many in the populace who wanted to stand against him. Yanagi’s fierce behind-the-scenes lobbying helped in this, of course, but Yukimura’s charisma and carefully chosen answer was the other component to their eventual victory.

_(“We’re almost at that goal, aren’t we?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“...then thank you. You should sleep.”_

_“...ah. Good night, Yukimura-san.”)_

Yanagi didn’t stay up with Yukimura on the night before the vote on passing the Bill. Too filled with the memories of the last time they’d done so, he’d taken the exit that Yukimura had given him (like a coward). He instead went straight to bed to gain some much-needed rest. 

A fleeting desire. 

He dreamt of a small girl with the same curly hair as Yukimura, gripping the hand of a tall teen with serious eyes and a black hat worn backwards. “Thanks for looking after my idiot-nii-chan, Yanagi-san!” the girl chirped, as she took Yanagi’s hand with her spare arm. “Sometimes he forgets to look after himself because he keeps looking at the future.”

“Seiichi was always stubborn like that.” murmured the teen, his voice already broken and deep. 

Yukimura’s younger sister grinned, as she squeezed the taller teen’s hand. “He needs someone like Gen-chan or you to tell him to slow down! And you’ve been doing a great job.” 

“Except you see, I always got too swept up in his enthusiasm. You’re much better for him, even if Seiichi doesn’t want to admit it.” divulged ‘Gen-chan’, who was actually Sanada Genichirou, as the newspapers had revealed. Yanagi had seen pictures of both of them in the papers, though he wasn’t sure why his subconscious was thinking of them tonight. 

“You think that we’re just a dream, don’t you?” asked Yukimura Minoru, her eyes sparkling with a mirth that was ten times more alive than her brother. “We could be. But we might not be either.”

“But we’re grateful nevertheless. And we hope that you’ll stay with him, since we were not able to.” said Sanada, bowing in gratitude.

“Do you approve of his actions?” asked Yanagi, speaking up for the first time. 

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” said Sanada. 

“We might have cared on Earth. But death puts things into context. We might have lived a little longer if it hadn’t happened, but in the end we all die. And he should do whatever makes him happy. This makes him happy. And that’s enough for us.” clarified Yukimura Minoru, as she squeezed Yanagi’s hand. “Don’t you feel the same way, Yanagi-san?”

Yanagi wasn’t sure how to reply to her.

_(He woke up panting and with the ghostly imprint of a small hand still clutched around his. He could still see the serious eyes of Sanada Genichirou, which asked Yanagi the same question.)_

That afternoon saw the bill come to pass and the first genuine smile on Yukimura’s face that Yanagi had seen for a very long time. There was nothing but relief from his party members and from the people who’d wanted justice. The country rejoiced, with Yukimura at the helm. 

And at the end of the large party the next night, held by one of Yukimura’s Cabinet members, Yanagi’s arms steadied around Yukimura’s shoulder as he pulled him away towards his house to get him to sleep at almost 1am in the morning.

Tomorrow would be hell for both of them, but they’d had worse during the election run. 

“You’re always here. For good or for worse, you're always goddamn here.” said Yukimura, with a faint laugh, as they got out of the escort car and staggered up to Yukimura’s house. For once, the cameras were not around, which was good because a tipsy Yukimura was not a good mediaploy. “Why the hell do you put up with me, Yanagi-kun? I must be obnoxious.”

“I’m evidently masochistic, with how much work you give me.” deadpanned Yanagi as they walked into Yukimura’s house and he shut the door behind them. Yukimura giggled, lightly, even though it wasn’t all that funny. 

“You think they’d be proud?” asked Yukimura, softly, as Yanagi propped him up on a barstool in his kitchen and rummaged around for some bananas, lemon, ginger and honey, to try various hangover cures. Yanagi knew who Yukimura was talking about.

"No." he said, calmly, as he poured some water into a kettle and turned the hot water to boil. "But they're happy, because you're happy."

Yukimura's eyes sharpened a little. "You're awfully sure of that, Yanagi-kun." he said, his voice quite sweetly cajoling, the same voice he used with children.

"Because everyone who cares about feels the same way." said Yanagi, neglecting to mention the maybe-dream. That was just proof he was insane and this, whatever this was, felt a lot more real. He followed Yukimura for a reason, after all. He wasn't that much of a masochist. "Your happiness is always more important, in the end."

There was silence between them as the kettle steamed and Yanagi slowly and neatly sliced up the ginger for the hangover cure. Yukimura's drawers were a little messier than Yanagi had been expecting, but then again, when did Yukimura ever get the chance to cook for himself? They were so busy going places that simple pleasures like that weren't things that Yanagi ever really thought about.

"...when I look at you, I see Yanagi Renji, you know. Not Genichirou." said Yukimura, finally, as he played with his cufflinks, "I thought about what you said for some time, and I did see him first, when I first met you. But you're much more. Much richer than a poor, watered-down memory." His voice was slightly raw and gabbled, as if he was rushing to get the words out. 

The kettle went off and Yanagi slowly poured the water into the cup, letting the teabag's essence and the honey mix together with the water, as he added some of the sliced ginger to the tea. He brought the cup over to Yukimura and took a seat next to Yukimura, despite the bar stool being just a little too small for his legs. "I follow Yukimura Seiichi because he is interesting and for all of his speeches which could be half lies and half lies, there's more truth in there than even he thinks there is. I follow him because his smiles could mean six different things, but for the careful observer, they only mean one. I follow him because even when he fails to be honest with himself, he's passionate about his goals and inspires the people around him to do better than their best." he said, softly as Yukimura took a hesitant sip of the tea and pulled a face. 

"So I'm grateful that you see me, because I can only see you." said Yanagi, finally. 

Yukimura's smile was a rehash of the genuine one he'd given upon seeing the Bill pass. "Will you stay the night, Yanagi-kun?" asked Yukimura, as he licked the tea from his lips. Yanagi nodded and that was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> So this has been on my mind for sometime. I apologize for anyone who read this and felt unsatisfied with the ending, but that's the closest to an ending I can make for this AU. The characters are too filled with sorrow and regrets.
> 
> EDIT (7/28/15): Typos fixed and some formatting issues fixed.


End file.
